M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Ammon and Aram Defeated

10 ^(A)Now it happened afterwards that ^(B)the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. ² Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of ^(C)Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent ^[a]some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, ³ the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “^[b]Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? ^(D)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and ^(E)shaved off half of their beards, and ^(F)cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. ⁵ When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, “^[c]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

⁶ Now when the sons of Ammon saw that ^(G)they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and ^(H)hired the Arameans of ^(I)Beth-rehob and the ^(J)Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of ^(K)Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. ⁷ When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. ⁸ The sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle array ^(L)at the entrance of the ^[d]city, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of ^(M)Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

⁹ Now when Joab saw that ^[e]the battle was set against him in front and in the rear, he selected from all the choice men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Arameans. ¹⁰ But the remainder of the people he placed in the hand of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the sons of Ammon. ¹¹ He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. ^12 (N)Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and ^(O)may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” ¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to the battle against the Arameans, and ^(P)they fled before him. ¹⁴ When the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled, they also fled before Abishai and entered the city. ^(Q)Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Arameans saw that they had been ^[f]defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. ^16 (R)And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the ^[g]River, and they came to Helam; and ^(S)Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer ^[h]led them. ¹⁷ Now when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans arrayed themselves to meet David and fought against him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed ^(T)700 charioteers of the Arameans and 40,000 horsemen and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. ¹⁹ When all the kings, servants of Hadadezer, saw that they were ^[i]defeated by Israel, ^(U)they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Arameans feared to help the sons of Ammon anymore.

Ministers of a New Covenant

3 Are we beginning to ^(A)commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, ^(B)letters of commendation to you or from you? ^2 (C)You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, ^[a](D)cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of ^(E)the living God, not on ^(F)tablets of stone but on ^(G)tablets of ^[b](H)human hearts.

⁴ Such ^(I)confidence we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but ^(J)our adequacy is from God, ⁶ who also made us adequate as ^(K)servants of a ^(L)new covenant, not of ^(M)the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but ^(N)the Spirit gives life.

⁷ But if the ^(O)ministry of death, ^(P)in letters engraved on stones, came ^[c]with glory, ^(Q)so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? ⁹ For if ^(R)the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ^(S)ministry of righteousness abound in glory. ¹⁰ For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if that which fades away was ^[d]with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

^12 (T)Therefore having such a hope, ^(U)we use great boldness in our speech, ¹³ and are not like Moses, ^(V)who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ But their minds were ^(W)hardened; for until this very day at the ^(X)reading of ^(Y)the old covenant the same veil ^[e]remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ^16 (Z)but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where ^(AA)the Spirit of the Lord is, ^(AB)there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, ^(AC)beholding as in a mirror the ^(AD)glory of the Lord, are being ^(AE)transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from ^(AF)the Lord, the Spirit.

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a ^(A)parable to the house of Israel, ^3 [a]saying, ‘Thus says the Lord ^[b]God, “A great ^(B)eagle with ^(C)great wings, long pinions and a full plumage of many colors came to ^(D)Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. ⁴ He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders. ⁵ He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in ^[c](E)fertile soil. He ^[d]placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a ^(F)willow. ⁶ Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.

⁷ “But there was ^[e]another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was ^(G)planted, that he might water it. ⁸ It was planted in good ^[f]soil beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.”’ ⁹ Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers—so that all its sprouting leaves wither? And neither by great ^[g]strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again. ¹⁰ Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not ^(H)completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it—wither on the beds where it grew?”’”

Zedekiah’s Rebellion

¹¹ Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹² “Say now to the ^(I)rebellious house, ‘Do you not ^(J)know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the ^(K)king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes and brought them to him in Babylon. ¹³ He took one of the royal ^[h](L)family and made a covenant with him, ^[i]putting him under ^(M)oath. He also took away the ^(N)mighty of the land, ¹⁴ that the kingdom might ^(O)be ^[j]in subjection, not exalting itself, but keeping his covenant that it might continue. ¹⁵ But he ^(P)rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt that they might give him horses and many ^[k]troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things ^(Q)escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape? ¹⁶ As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘Surely in the ^[l]country of the king who ^[m]put him on the throne, whose oath he ^(R)despised and whose covenant he broke, ^[n](S)in Babylon he shall die. ^17 (T)Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not ^[o]help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives. ¹⁸ Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he ^[p](U)pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’” ¹⁹ Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will ^[q]inflict on his head. ²⁰ I will spread My ^(V)net over him, and he will be ^(W)caught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and ^(X)enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. ²¹ All the ^[r](Y)choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

²² Thus says the Lord God, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one and I will plant it on a ^(Z)high and lofty mountain. ²³ On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a stately ^(AA)cedar. And birds of every ^[s]kind will ^[t]nest under it; they will ^[u]nest in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ All the ^(AB)trees of the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree ^(AC)flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it.”

Lament over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.

For the choir director; according to ^[a]Shushan Eduth. A ^[b]Mikhtam of David, to teach; ^[c]when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.